Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Observation

I have an excessively negative iPod.

I was clicking around in search of Mimi's addio from La Boheme this morning and noticed for the first time how many songs I've loaded that begin with the imperative Don't.
  • "Don't Be the Bunny" (John Cullum, Urinetown Original Broadway Cast)
  • "Don't Answer Me" (The Alan Parsons Project)
  • "Don't Bring Lulu" (Gladys Mills)
  • "Don't Call Me Baby" (Madison Avenue)
  • "Don't Dream It's Over" (Crowded House)
  • "Don't Ever Leave Me" (Pearl Bailey)
  • "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Thelma Houston)
  • "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" (Noel Coward)
  • "Don't Like Goodbyes" (Pearl Bailey, House of Flowers Original Broadway Cast)
  • "Don't Look at Me" (Barbara Cook, Follies in Concert)
  • "Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington" (Noel Coward)
  • "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" (The Andrews Sisters)
  • "Don't Tell Mama" (Natasha Richardson, Cabaret Revival Cast)
  • "Don't Waste Your Heart" (The Dixie Chicks)

To balance this I can find only Bessie Smith singing "Do Your Duty," which is not so much positive as pushy.

73 comments:

Kristen said...

Oh now what kind of self-respecting gay man are you that you've neglected The Communards' version of "Don't Leave Me This Way"?! (I spent way too much time back in my purple hair days getting all sweaty on the dance floor to that one.)

Meredith said...

Some of my favorite "don't" songs:
Don't Bring Your Guns to Town (Johnny Cash)
Don't Go Breaking my Heart (Elton John)
Don't Bring Me Down (ELO)

nosenabook said...

I'm guessing you didn't choose them for the titles! Mere coincidence.

Nutella Nutterson said...

My iTunes has 57 songs containing the word "Don't" and 25 songs that start with it. Two of those are the awesome "Don't" by Elvis Presley and later covered by Bernadette Peters. And that tells you just about all you need to know about my musical taste. :-)

Meg said...

You need some Porgey and Bess amonst those tunes my dear ... a little "Summertime" I think ...

Redford Phyl said...

You should have been looking for Musetta's Waltz as it was recorded by Della Reese - "Don't You Know." I've always loved that recording.

Mary deB said...

You need Tom Jones and Jools Holland, Don't You Kiss My Cheek!

Paul said...

I sang "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" in a college recital. I love that song.

Unknown said...

OK, this is sad - I only recognized one of those.

SallyT said...

At least you didn't list "Don't Stop Thinking about Tomorrow."

YTT said...

But more to the point for some of us, who is singing "Donde lieta usci" on your iPod?

(This from someone whose iPod has way more tracks starting with "Dov'è" than "Don't.")

Anonymous, too said...

What, you don't have "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from Evita, Tom Petty's "Don't Do Me Like That", or the Kinks' "Don't Forget to Dance"?

FiberQat said...

There's also "Don't Ask Me Why" (Billy Joel); "Don't Be Cruel"; "Don't Come Around Here No More" (Tom Petty); "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult); "Don't Stop" (Fleetwood Mac"; and "Don't Stop Me Now" (Queen).

Lynda the Guppy said...

Hmmm. Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed. I have 32 songs with "Don't" in the title. 16 of them start with Don't, but I have a couple different versions of a few of those, so that number is actually smaller. And it's quite a collection of Don't's...Hugh Jackman in Boy From Oz, Shania, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Britney Spears, Young Dubliners, and Chris de Burgh, among others.

Interesting.

Nigel Pottle said...

Don't worry, be happy. (Bobby McFerrin)

Paisley said...

Don't panic (Coldplay), Don't let me down (Beatles) and Don't look back in anger (Oasis).

or

Do it again (Jane Russell or Rufus Wainwright)

Joan said...

Doo Doo Doo, Dah Dah Dah-- That's all I'm going to say to you.

Paris said...

Observation comment:
If there isn't a song already titled "Don't Call Me Lulu", there ought to be.

junior_goddess said...

Add "Don't you worry 'bout a thing" and "Didn't I blow your mind this time" for a little balance.

Rabbitch said...

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a bunny. Also I'm ashamed to say that "Don't Answer Me" by The Alan Parson's Project is one of the only few songs I recognized. I think perhaps we shouldn't go out clubbing together (unless, of course, it's clubbing of those who sorely need a good smack upside the head).

Terry said...

"Do it again (Jane Russell or Rufus Wainwright)" as Paisley said, but don't forget (heh) Judy Garland and Edith Piaf did that one too!

Andrea said...

Me too! All of mine are from the 80's, makes me sad that I wasn't alive then :(

Evelyn said...

Gee whiz you sure are gay. hahaha

roxie said...

Was it your visit to the City of Roses that engendered this negativity? Was it so dreadful that you can't bring yourself to report? Did no one bring you the VooDoo Donuts famous chocolate covered cock'n'balls? Did Delores find a plethora of sisters under the skin and banded together with them to liberate the whiskey distillery?

Nosey people want to know.

Kate G. said...

Franklin {{{{sigh}}}}.

Your don't's make me want to dig through the closet and find my feather boa. The only Don't I have on the pod is:
"Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" w/Eric Bibb

I listen to it once a week before I step on the scale.

Anonymous said...

Now I'm singing "Don't Tell Mama"! Thanks, I love that one.
-- Gretchen

Monica said...

Alright, you had me curious, so I looked up mine. These are the ones that begin with "Don't":

"Don't Ask Me Why," Billy Joel
"Don't Back Down," The Beach Boys
"Don't Bring Me Down," Sia
"Don't Call It A Comeback," Motion City Soundtrack
"Don't Call Me Baby," Madison Avenue
"Don't Drink the Water," Dave Matthews Band
"Don't Eat the Yellow Snow," Frank Zappa
"Don't Fear the Word," The Remus Lupins
"Don't Forget Me," Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Don't I Hold You," Wheat
"Don't Know Why," Norah Jones
"Don't Leave Me," the All-American Rejects
"Don't Let Go," Weezer
"Don't Let Me Down," The Beatles
"Don't Let Me Down," Dana Fuchs
"Don't Let Me Down," No Doubt
"Don't Let Me Explode," The Hold Steady
"Don't Lie," Black Eyed Peas
"Don't Look Back (Demo)," Alex Day
"Don't Miss You At All," Norah Jones
"Don't Panic," Coldplay
"Don't Pass Me By", The Beatles
"Don't Phunk With My Heart," Black Eyed Peas
"Don't Point, Don't Scare It," Butterfly Boucher (a double whammy!)
"Don't Stay," Linkin Park
"Don't Stop," Fleetwood Mac
"Don't Stop Me Now," Queen
"Don't Stop the Rock," The Chemical Brothers
"Don't Think Of Me," Dido
"Don't Tickle Me," Dane Cook
"Don't Wait," Dashboard Confessional
"Don't Wait," Vaux
"Don't Wake Me Up," The Hush Sound
"Don't Worry About It," N*E*R*D
"Don't Worry Baby," The Beach Boys
"Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" Fall Out Boy
"Don't You See?" DBGT

I found 19 songs that begin with "do" but this comment is long enough.

Kendra said...

I'll sum up your iPod with a song from mine - "Everybody Says Don't", from the Original Broadway Cast album of "Anyone Can Whistle".

(I have 34 songs that start with "Don't", by the way.)

Caroline said...

"Don't Bring Lulu"!!! Holey moley, I have not heard or remembered that in decades but I used to love that song!

Lynn said...

In my mime class for my interpreting for the deaf degree, I did "Everybody Says Don't", and when Barbra singss, "Don't laugh at the king," I pointed to the director of our interpreting program, and everybody cracked up. I got an A.

Kate said...

The fact that you have Noel Coward songs on your iPod has raised you even higher in my esteem!

Anita said...

Franklin - I love your songs, but even more, I love your labels. You cracked me up, bigtime.

Nancy said...

At least you don't have "Don't sit under the old oak tree with anyone else but me."

Ali P said...

hee hee " Do Your 'Duty'"...hee hee
Why yes I do have the sense of humour of a 5 year old boy...heehee 'duty'... Thanks for askin'...

I have only 2 Don't titles: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight by James Taylor and Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac.
I have 4 Do titles: Do I Disappoint You (Rufus Wainwright), Do It (Nelly Furtado, Do The Walls Come Down (Carly Simon),and Do You Remember (Jack Johnson).
I like that I lean towards the positive, albeit unknowingly!

Amber in Albuquerque said...

Franklin...Let It Be :).

Kayten said...

You took me back to sunny Sunday afternoons in the backyard with my dad, who would sing me naughty Noel Coward tunes after he'd imbibed his daily ration of Manhattans. He also used to wake me up to hear Oscar Levant and Buddy Hackett on the Tonight Show. Apparently I had a somewhat jaded, if educational, childhood.

Mary Lou said...

Oh man, I must find that Noel Coward song. Did he write it while he was working for the intelligence service, i wonder?

Anonymous said...

"Don't throw bouquets at me,
Don't please my folks too much,
Don't laugh at my jokes too much..."

Julia Grunau said...

But what about "Why Don't You Do Right", sung by Peggy Lee? http://tinyurl.com/27cbvo

Brenda said...

Bessie Smith was a very push woman. That's why my mother and I love her. :)

Anne said...

You missed "Don't You Forget About Me" (Psychedelic Furs). And if you like Barbara Cook, listen to "Losing My Mind."

Unknown said...

I only have Don't Stand too Close to me by The Police and Don't Pass me By by the Beatles. And those are only there because my younger son added a bunch of tunes after he bought my husband an iPod. It is funny that the two Do tunes are actually mine - Do I ever cross your mind by Dolly Parton and Do you hear what I hear sung by The Roches. That version by the Roches is about the only way I can stand that piece of "music."

Anonymous, too said...

Oops, I remembered one you really need to have, if only to lighten up the tone of all those "Don't" songs...

"The smell of burning leather
As we hold each other tight
As our rivets rub together
Splashing sparks into the night
In this moment of surrender
Darling, if you really care
Don't touch me there..."
"Don't Touch Me There" by the Tubes

DPUTiger said...

I saw the first song on that list performed in person by Mr. Cullum on broadway. I really adore that musical. Ya know, too much exposition can kill a show. So can a bad title ... or bad subject matter. Maybe next time, they can do a happy musical?

Ann (yet another) said...

And you don't have the live version of Elton John and George Michael singing "Don't let the sun go down on me?"

For some reason, ever since you posted this, my shuffler has been popping that to the top, and so now I give it to you in the hopes that it will visit you for a while.

Yesterday, for a bit of a change, the iPod shuffler got into a weird instrumental mood and I ended up hearing Cellogic - a jazz cello piece - about 3 times, along with some sax and a bit of Bach.

Anonymous said...

LOVE the fact that the lead off song is from Urinetown. Going to go see their new one Yeast Nation while it debuts here in Chicago?

And Don't Tell Mama is one of my all time favorites. Hell. Maybe I'm a gay man too!

WonderMike said...

I can't believe you omitted, "Don't Stop Believin'"... weren't you a head banger in high school?!!!

Jody said...

DON'T not come to Rhinebeck!!!

Anonymous said...

Ma says...

What's the latest on the 1,000 knitters project?

I was part of the Toronto shoot and was wondering if we've been shut out of the grand plan.

Cynthia said...

"Don't Leave Me This Way" is one of my favorite forgotten songs. Thanks for the reminder...

SallyT said...

Wait, wait, what about "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

C Ste Croix said...

I love this blog. It just makes me feel nice when I read it. Thanks.

Pat said...

You could always balance things out with a little Do wop.

Frances said...

I have 3 "Don't" songs...
Don't Be Afraid (Final Fantasy VIII Soundtrack)
Don't Do Sadness (Spring Awakening)
Don't Tell Mama (Cabaret)

and 2 "Do" songs...
Do You Love Me? (Fiddler on the Roof)
Do You Want to Know a Secret (The Beatles)

as well as many more than that which start with things like "Donde" and "Donna" and "Dov'è" and "Dunque"...

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